Life off the grid in the SW Texas desert. An experiment in sustainable living. NUMBERS AT THE END OF EACH BLOG POST: temp at 8PM,high temp,low temp,rainfall,wind conditions(CalmBreezyWindyGusty). Live streaming video at http://ustre.am/TM8N

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

close but no rain...

Some guzzlers dumped around me but nothing at TFL. Got my order of new swamp cooler pads - soon it will be time to put the Pepino II back into operation. Working up some movable shade for the courtyard (and its not even hot yet) and looking into some 12V misting systems like this one to help control temperature and humidity... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbScr3EKWjo 70,89,53,0,B

Hate to sound like a nay-sayer but I worry that only those plants that are very heat-tolerant will survive over the summer. Also, my two-cents on your Pepino padding--I've tried other kinds but nothing ever worked quite as well as good old aspen. I think the looseness of the weave may have had something to do with it and also its absorbency and inclination to hold water longer. That little Pepino is your life line!

Since I've been away for a while, could you please recap your projects and progress over the past year? It would help to envision the big picture. Last I heard you were working on your house. Is much more now. Thanks.

Used some of those misters a couple years ago Problems were that they used a lot of water and like the kid said if you sit under them you get drenched while someone a few feet away didn't get very cool. Another big problem is that they tend to plug up a lot and that was on city water. Don't even think about using pond or run off water.

Part of the mister equation is getting the right combination of mister and pressure with filters for the water. Rainwater from a roof (as opposed to pumped off the ground) should create little to no salt buildup to clog the mister nozzles. Check dripworks.com for a variety of system parts.

Gene,John has good info on the swamp cooler here: http://www.thefieldlab.org/fun.htmlBut when you get time, you should start reading his blog from the beginning. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You' be inspired.

@The Flying Fig - Yeah, I found John about the time he was putting siding on the house. Inspirational sure enough. Think I learned about him from a feature writing on Komando.com, but his blog is right up on top in my "Bookmarks Toolbar"Judging from the fun I get from following TLF, hope John gets much blessings too. "to be younger!"

Evaporative and mist coolers work out your way because of the very low humidity. They don't work so well up here in Big D. I know you'll get the right combination of parts and ingenuity to get a system up and running in the greenhouse. Yes, I do believe Mr. Floppy has Occupied The Porch. You may have an insurrection on your hands there, John. For newcomers, it is time consuming, but helpful and informative, to go back to the beginning of this blog, and read it straight through. You will learn so much!